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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23552758">Do you know what's worth fighting for?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Horrorstan42/pseuds/Horrorstan42'>Horrorstan42</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk (Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, BAMF Pepper Potts, Bruce Banner Angst, Bruce Banner Has Issues, Dehumanization, If you want - Freeform, Loki is complicated, Minor Clint Barton/Phil Coulson, Pepper Potts is done with Tony's shit, Protective Loki (Marvel), Science Boyfriends, Science Bros, Star Trek References, Thaddeus Ross is a dick, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Torture, Unethical Experimentation, like it's implied but you could ignore it, way to much science blabble i tried to make it accurate</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:28:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,736</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23552758</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Horrorstan42/pseuds/Horrorstan42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Normally, being a science bro is fun. This was not one of those times<br/>or<br/>Bruce Banner absolutely, unequivocally, and utterly does not want to work for Thaddeus Ross. But Tony Stark is a charismatic bastard, and he has a plan. Unfortunately for both of them, Ross does too.<br/>or<br/>Tony stopped selling weapons after Afghanistan, and got rid of Obie. But he never came out as Iron man, and while he's been trying to change for Bruce, it's hard. But when your own damn military commits atrocities, you've got to take a stand.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bruce Banner &amp; Original Female Character(s), Bruce Banner &amp; Thaddeus Ross, Bruce Banner &amp; Tony Stark, Bruce Banner/Tony Stark, Pepper Potts &amp; Tony Stark, Phil Coulson &amp; Pepper Potts, Tony Stark &amp; Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Do you know what's worth fighting for?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hope you enjoy this thingy. I basically wanted to split Tony's personality change in Iron man 1 into 2 parts, and make it more complete, with a major helping of science bro's and a proto-hulk.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tony glanced over at Bruce. He had the mopeyist expression Tony had seen since Betty dumped him. It was honestly quite funny. The man was acting like working with Ross was torture. <br/>Bruce spotted his smirk and returned a glare, which just looked so out of place on his normally mild face that Tony couldn’t help but burst into laughter. <br/>“Sorry, sorry. Look, you’ll be fine. Ross’s a bit of an ass but he’s in charge of some of the most interesting work on gamma radiation in the world! And just pretend you care about golf and he’ll love you.” He patted Bruce’s hand, accidently knocking his smoothie out of the cup holder. <br/>Bruce gave him an incredulous look. “Tony. I know him. General Ross doesn’t like you because you talk to him about golf. He likes you because you’re the ‘right’ kind of person. Because you go to all the same fancy clubs and parties that he does and know all the ‘right’ people.”<br/>Tony winced. “Well, okay. That’s fair. But he does like golf, I promise!”<br/> “Tony?”<br/>“Yes?”<br/>“Shut up.”<br/>“Wow. Betrayed by my own science bro. How could you do this to me, Bruce?”<br/>“Stop being such a drama queen and focus on the road. How much further is it to the base, anyway?”<br/>“Just about 15 minutes. Still scared of the big bad general?”<br/>Bruce blinked at him. “Tony, he’s under investigation for torturing civilians. Even though he likes you, you have to admit he’s scary.”<br/>Tony did not want to talk about that. Not one little bit. Luckily, a military vehicle was signaling for them to pull over. <br/>Tony rolled down his window and gave the solider his most charming smile. “Hi. We’re Dr. Stark and Dr. Banner, General Ross called us in to help with some research.”<br/>“Identification?”<br/>“Right here.” Tony passed the cards to the man. He looked at them skeptically, then nodded. <br/>“General Ross will meet you inside.”</p>
<p>The base was not pretty. It was all concrete blocks, sand, and parched bushes. It was not Tonys preferred type of atmosphere, but at least the buildings were air conditioned. And at this point, he’d been on enough military bases that he was used to the whole thing. Bruce, on the other hand, looked like he was a few minutes from shitting his pants. Tony leaned over and put a hand on his arm. <br/>“You okay?”<br/>Bruce shook his head. “This all… it’s just, it reminds me of my parents.” <br/>That was not good. Bruce almost never mentioned his parents. Tony had heard him talk about them twice, maybe, and he’d known him for almost 8 years. But what Bruce had told Tony made him sure that thinking of his parents was not a good thing. “Anything I can do?”<br/>“I don’t think so. I just want to sit down for a minute.” Bruce did not look good at all. Tony started scanning the hall, looking for some kind of bench. Sadly, the only thing he saw was General Ross walking straight towards him. Bruce would have to wait. <br/>Ross had a huge fake smile on as he walked over. It only got bigger as he shook Tonys hand. Tony could practically see it cracking as Ross said, “Tony! Been a year or so, hasn’t it? How’re you doing?” <br/>And Tony could do that thing, if it was what Ross wanted. He put on a much better fake smile and looked right at the man. “Doing great! How’s the golf club I made working for you?” <br/>“It’s working great! Really improving my swing.” Ross’s smile faded as he turned to Bruce. “And this is your partner?” He managed to put more disdain into the word then most could manage in a week. <br/>“Yup. The genius Dr. Banner. I believe you’ve actually met him before.” Bruce clearly had walked away from whenever that was with a bad impression, but maybe Ross thought it was a good meeting?<br/>Ross snorted. “Army brat, isn’t he? Grew up on the base I worked on. Hope he’s a better scientist then his father.” Ross started walking, gesturing for them to follow him. <br/>Tony glanced over at Bruce, who stubbornly avoided looking at him. Shit. That was not how he’d assumed they knew each other. Ross had just poked the hornet’s nest. <br/>Ross lead them to a beautiful state-of-the art lab. Tony had nice labs of his own, of course, but the military has access to facilities that even a billionaire genius can’t get. And these labs were an excellent demonstration of that. <br/>The General smirked at his admiring look. “Lab’s nice, isn’t it? This is the main workstation for you two. Unfortunately, we can’t house our gamma-irradiated specimen in here without throwing off the instruments, so that lab is a floor down. If you want, I can give you a tour of down there, or you can poke around in this lab.”<br/>Bruce was gazing around with an awestruck look, clearly eager to get started. And, Tony guessed, more than ready to get away from Ross. “I think we’d like to poke around here for a bit first. Can we meet with the other researchers?”<br/>“Sure, they’re working in the labs down the hall. The computers here should have their files uploaded as well.” Ross glanced down at his watch. “I’ve got some work to do, the other scientists should help you if you have any issues.” He nodded to Tony and walked out. <br/>Bruce turned to Tony with a smirk. Tony gave him a look. “Don’t say it.”<br/>Bruce laughed. “Say what? Clearly, all he wanted from me was to talk about golf.”<br/>“Shut up.”<br/>“And he’s clearly not an intimidating guy at all!”<br/>Tony rolled his eyes. “Okay, you were right. That what you want to hear?” Bruce snorted. “And, look, I’m sorry I brought up you meeting him before. I assumed you’d met at a technical conference or something.”<br/>Bruce’s whole face shut down instantly. “It’s nothing.” He turned away, trying to look busy with a computer. “Let’s get to work.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. When it's not worth dying for</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Short chapter here, sorry.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She hadn’t meant to break. She’d tried not to. She’d fought, at first. Punched and kicked and tried her hardest to get free of the bonds and the drugs and that goddamned collar. She’d spit on them and screamed at them. And if they’d yelled back or punched her or gotten angry, she would have just taken strength from that. But they didn’t. When she kicked at them, they just tied her down. When she tried to punch them from her cage, they started to keep her tied up in there. When she spit or yelled, they put a fucking muzzle on her, like a dog. When she pulled at the collar, they just had it shock her. They didn’t fight back. They managed her, like she was a lab rat. Like a fucking animal. Collared and muzzled like a dog, except you’d be arrested if you treated a dog like this. Kept in a cage that she could barely fit in. Forced to shit and piss there, although she did try to save that for when she was on the lab table. Hatred could have been fought, but how can you fight total disinterest? When every action just results in more of your freedom and dignity being taken away? She told herself it was okay, that she didn’t need to literally fight to resist, she could just resist in her head. Just keep herself alive. She tried to keep her breath even while they were experimenting on her. Tried to breathe through the pain, the way her doctor had taught her to do with migraines. She recited poems in her head, whatever odd scraps had stuck from high school English. Then songs, then books. But they just went on. It seemed to never stop, like there was always some anonymous lab tech cutting into her. And she couldn’t keep going, couldn’t stay in her head with her songs. She then decided that she didn’t have to stay in her body, she just had to keep some part of herself. She retreated into some far-off part of her, a mini world where the pain just wasn’t as bad. She told herself that this wasn’t giving up, this was strategic resistance. Give them the unthinking animal they want and keep yourself safe. Safe for what she wasn’t sure. She’d read a bit about ptsd in college and was sure she must have it by now. Solitary confinement could fuck someone up in just a few days, right? She thought she’d been there for a good deal more than that, although she had no idea how long. And while her body healed quickly now, she knew that there still must be damage from the horrifying things they did to her deep inside. She could regenerate her stomach, but she doubted it was as good as the original. If she ever got rescued, she’d be a mess. But maybe if she kept some part of herself away, she’d be repairable.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Does it take your breath away?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Okay, this isn't a chapter I'm super happy with, but I tried.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bruce had been standing behind him for a good 10 minutes, just squeaking his shoes against the floor. It was starting to get on Tony’s nerves. Couldn’t the man just say whatever it was? Why’d he have to just stand there? God! He tried to focus, and let Bruce talk when he was ready, but after a particularly loud squeak Tony finally had enough and spun around in his chair. He half shouted, “what do you want?”<br/>Bruce jumped back and stumbled, falling into a sort of protective half crouch on the floor. He froze there, staring up at Tony. Who felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He knew not to yell at Bruce. Especially not when he was having a bad day. Especially not in a place that reminded Bruce of his father. <br/>He got out of his chair and crouched down next to him, suppressing a sigh. “Hey, sorry man. Want a hand up?” Bruce remained frozen for a second before nodding. Tony grabbed his hand and pulled them up together. “So, what’d you want to ask?”<br/>Bruce sighed. “There’s just some weird data. It says it’s from a specimen, but… well, I’ll show you.” Tony nodded, confused. He’d never known Bruce to be this uncertain about anything scientific. He followed Bruce to his monitor. <br/>“So, what’s the…oh.” It was the file of a “successful” specimen, supposedly a Chimpanzee. But the way the data was recorded was off. Not to mention, none of the numbers made sense for a chimp. <br/>Bruce nodded. “Yeah. And, for most specimen, even the most successful or unusual ones, they’ve been doing a few experiments, then leave them to see what happens long term.”<br/>“But here, they’ve been doing invasive tests practically non-stop, even though it was integrated a month ago.”<br/>“Yeah. Should we ask them about it?”<br/>Tony bit his lip. “Honestly, it seems like an entry issue. But on the off chance it’s not, we need to look into that. And asking just seems like an easy solution.” He nodded. “Yeah, let’s go ask. Wanna come?” <br/>Bruce shrugged. “I suppose I’ll have to meet our coworkers eventually.” <br/>Tony laughed and grabbed his arm, pulling him out the door. “C’mon then! What gives a better first impression then pointing out a mistake in a coworker’s data set?”<br/>The lab down the hall was just as nice as theirs, but a bit more crowded. About 5 people were there, laughing about something around a table. They looked up as soon as Tony and Bruce walked in. <br/>A woman who looked like she might be in charge stood up, a smile on her face. “You must be the consultants! Dr. Stark, Dr. Banner, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Dr. Schwartzberg.”<br/>Tony smiled at her as he shook her hand. “Oh, just call me Tony. And he’s Bruce.” <br/>“Then call me Sue. You two just got here yesterday, didn’t you?”<br/>“Yes, but we only started working today. Actually, we came over because we wanted to ask you about some of the data.”<br/>“Sure, what’s the issue?”<br/>Bruce stepped forward. “Well, I was looking through some of the reports on your specimen testing, and one of the reports seemed a bit odd.” He angled his tablet towards her. <br/>She took it and scrolled through the page, frowning. “Huh. That is weird.” She turned to the table behind her. “Hey, Cruz! You lead the chimp tests; do you know what happened with this entry?” <br/>A short, wide man stood to get a better look at it. He looked at the page, brows furrowed. His face went pale almost instantly. He looked up and let out a stiff laugh. “Oh, looks like one of the lab techs messed up. I’ll get you a correct entry, you’re in the lab just down the hall, right?<br/>Bruce nodded. “My email’s bbanner@starkindustries.com, might be easier just to send it there.”<br/>Tony snorted. “Bruce here isn’t such a fan of in person communication.”<br/>One of the people at the table laughed. “He’ll fit right in, then. Most of us are anti-social nerds.”<br/>“I can’t think of any better way to describe Bruce then that.” Bruce shot him a glare, and Tony knew he was walking on thin ice. “Anyway, it’s been nice to meet you all, but we’ve got quite a bit of work right now.”<br/>Sue nodded. “As do we. Hope to see you two again!”<br/>When they got back to the lab, Tony flopped into his chair. He looked up at Bruce. “So, that was fishy.”<br/>“Really. I didn’t notice.” <br/>Tony snorted. “So, the question is: what the hell is Cruz trying to hide? And the next question is, how can we figure that out?”<br/>“I’m not sure that that’s the question, actually.”<br/>“Oh? You wanna be Ross’s pet scientists? I expected more from you, Bruce.” <br/>“No, obviously not. But, well, have you read Dr. Schwartzberg’s papers?” At Tony's blank look, Bruce sighed. “Of course. But, well, she’s good. Really good. Probably the best geneticist out there. And Cruz? He’s an incredible chemist.”<br/>Tony could feel himself getting impatient. What the hell was the point of this ramble? <br/>Bruce must have seen his expression, because he let out a long sigh before continuing. “Look. I know you’re incredibly smart. But neither of us are geneticists. You’re an engineer, and I’m a physicist. But mainly, we’re weapons experts. And based on the data? This isn’t a weapon, at least not yet. They’ve got the brains they need for the stage this project is at. So.”<br/>Tony nodded. “So, why’d they call us in. Well, it is a bit odd. But you’re the world’s leading gamma expert, and this is a gamma-based project, at its core. They probably want you to troubleshoot, and me for design help.” <br/>Bruce nodded. “Yeah, I thought so. It’s based off some of my research, after all. The thing is, the gamma part of their formula? It’s doing what they want. They don’t need me, not right now. Except, well, in the weird entry.” <br/>“So…”<br/>“If that entry was a mistake, why are we here?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, more answers will be coming in the next update. In the meantime, comments and kudos would make my day! :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. And you feel yourself suffocate</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yay, words! Hopefully plot! Maybe feelings!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bruce had known something was up since Tony had told him about the call. Ross HATED him. Had told him he’d kill him if he married Betty. There was no way he’s hire him as a consultant under ordinary circumstances. <br/>And when Bruce had shown up, and the general hadn’t yelled at him? And had mentioned his father? It was weird. Subtle barbs weren’t Ross’s thing. He was much more a ‘scream-about-how-you-aren’t-a-man-in-front-of-your-girlfriend’ kind of guy. <br/>Bruce knew Tony thought the whole military thing had put him on edge. And it had, a bit. Bruce hated to think about his parents, and a desert base would always make him. But right now, Bruce had bigger things to worry about. The allegations of human right’s violations against the General, first of all. He hadn’t been able to get an unredacted version, unfortunately. But he’d gotten some idea from the (heavily) redacted public version. A scientist thought Ross was engaging in unethical treatment of prisoners. <br/>And it wasn’t like that accusation surprised Bruce. The General always thought results came before method. But the scientists who worked with him knew that, and if you applied for his team, you’d certainly hear that through the grapevine. Ross was probably engaging in some questionable practices with a hydra scientist or something. But who the hell would report that? <br/> And what was even more surprising was that it was being investigated. For all that Tony would shout he was a hippy, Bruce knew the army needed to do iffy stuff sometimes. He hated it, he really did, but he knew it wasn’t going to stop. It was just what America was. Men like General Ross would use “enhanced interrogation” methods on whoever wouldn’t help them, and the government would stand behind them. Except, right now, it was being investigated. Even if the investigation was just for show, that indicated Ross was doing some pretty fucked stuff. <br/>And that was, at least partially, why he’d agreed to come. He wanted to know what the hell Ross was doing. But that tied into the final weird thing. Aside from the one fishy piece of research, everything seemed normal. <br/> But that fishy piece of research was even odder than Tony had picked up on. He’d looked into it some more after Cruz had that odd reaction. And the numbers matched, not perfectly but closely, to his guesses for what a human who’d been infused with gamma would look like. And he hadn’t been down to check out the specimens yet, had he? <br/>Bruce glanced over at Tony. The latter was working, his eyes glued to a simulation running on a computer. It was now or never, and wasn’t it always clear what to pick then? Bruce slipped out of the room and down the hall. He tried to avoid detection, despite the fact that he was allowed to be there. He just didn’t want to have to explain what he was doing. His footsteps echoed in the hall, and he could see a slight reflection of himself in the polished floor. <br/>He took the staircase instead of the elevator. It had the look that all institutional staircases do, from schools to museums to military bases. He hated that look. But sacrifices must be made for discovery. <br/>Walking in the specimen hall was lovely. It felt real, with the plants reaching up to the lights, the fish swimming aimlessly in their cages, and the rats running endless circles in their wheels. He’d never tell Tony, but a part of him hated the sterile feel of the weapons laboratories. This hall, this felt alive. <br/>But as Bruce appreciated the hall, he was also searching. He knew there was something up here. There must be. And he had to find it, the one thing not like the rest. So as he pet the rats and stroked the plants, he looked. <br/>And he saw a door that wasn’t on the maps he and Tony had been given. It said it was to a women’s restroom. Bruce weighed the possibilities. It could be a door to some secret section of the lab where Ross was experimenting on or torturing humans. In that case, Bruce should definitely go in. In fact, he would be ethically obligated to go in. But it could also be a women’s restroom. In which case, going in would be a horrible idea, with the best case scenario horribly embarrassing and the worse case leading to a sexual harassment charge. <br/>And people say doing good is easy. Bruce sighed and pushed open the door, prepared to instantly duck out if it was a restroom. <br/>It was a hallway. He let out a sigh of relief while internally castigating himself. A secret hallway in a military lab should never be the good option. But here it was. He walked down, waiting for the thing he knew would come at the end of this hallway. <br/>He was not disappointed, but he was also not prepared. He’d been expecting what his head thought an evil scientist would look like, a devilishly handsome man with dark hair. Basically, Tony, but with a more malevolent face. And when he’d considered a human experiment, he’d though of something matrix-esq. A shaved human in a vat of liquid, or something similar. Maybe a human in a test tube? <br/>Either of those would have been so much better. Instead, behind a large glass window, there was a girl, curled in on herself in a corner of a cell. She looked almost normal, except for the obscene amount of scars littering her skin and the fact that she looked as though she’d been dipped in a vat of blood. Bruce couldn’t stifle his gasp. She shifted, looking up at the window. <br/>He attempted to offer a reassuring smile. She was older than he’d thought. Her thinness and the way she’d been hunched had made him think she was a child, but she was an adult. A young one, but still. <br/>He leaned closer to the wall. “Hey, are you okay?” She blinked at him. “Can you hear me? I’m Bruce.” Still no response. “How long have you been here?” Her eyes flickered around, and then she shrugged. It was a tiny movement, but the most response he’d gotten. He smiled at her. “Well, it’s April 14th now. Does that help?” She moved her lips, but he couldn’t hear her. “I’m sorry, what was that?” She leaned a bit closer to the glass. And while he still couldn’t hear her, he could read her lips. And she was quite clearly saying fuck off.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i'm struggling with writing right now, as I'm sure a lot of ppl are. I'm also stuck at home and bored, so if anyone wants to hmu on discord that would be appreciated. Also, as always, comments and kudos are very much appreciated!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Does the pain weigh out the pride?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>QUARANTINE SUCKS PLS MAKE ME NOT BORED</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bruce backed up from the glass, surprised. Her open hostility did not seem like the reaction of someone who was being experimented on, and although he knew it was sexist this girl just didn’t seem like a hydra scientist. He stared at her for a minute, but she’d looked away and didn’t look back. Bruce sighed and tried to figure out what the hell he should do about this whole thing. Tell Tony, probably, but Tony would doubtless want to come meet the girl himself and Bruce wasn’t sure if that was a good idea. And although she didn’t seem like it, there was a decent chance that this girl was just some fairly young-looking hydra goon. And Bruce just couldn’t see Tony having a problem with Ross using less-then-gentle techniques on a person like that. Bruce didn’t want to risk talking to Tony about something like that. So what could he do? <br/>He mulled over this problem the whole walk back to the lab. When he opened the door and slipped in, Tony greeted him enthusiastically, spinning around in his chair. <br/>“Where were you, Bruce? Never mind, I looked up Shwartzberg, and her papers are fascinating! I should try to get her to join us at Stark Industries after this, right?”<br/>Bruce blinked at him, then began to smile. “Tony, I don’t think we got called in as consultants to poach scientists from the military.”<br/>“Aw, you’re no fun.” Tony spun back around and reopened some model he was fidgeting with on his computer. <br/>Bruce logged into his computer in considerably better spirits. He had a plan now. He would find out who that girl was, and then he could tell Tony about her. All he had to do was figure out what 20-30-year-old women had recently been apprehended by the military. <br/>About an hour later, Bruce thumped his head down on his desk. He was able to access the military files due to Tony’s security clearance, but he couldn’t find any prisoner who might be the girl. He’d looked in the files of currently missing operatives as well, but he didn’t think they’d keep an open file on her just for the purpose of misdirection. Ross liked his paperwork in order. <br/>Bruce let out a groan and pushed himself upright in the chair. He couldn’t give up now. If she wasn’t a captured scientist Ross was getting information from, there were some other options that would bring together the puzzle pieces. There was his first idea, of course, that she was a test subject. Bruce knew that would tie up a lot of the lose ends, but something in him thought it had to be more complicated then that. Sue didn’t seem like she’d be okay with injecting a human with an under tested radioactive serum. Bruce knew she had to be at least a little ethically flexible, but to do something like that you’d need a real sadistic streak. And sure, he’d only really met her once, but he’d followed her papers for years and she just didn’t seem like a person who could be truly evil. Besides, if they were injecting humans with the serum, why only one? <br/>But there were other possibilities. The girl could have willingly come over to help the army, and they were hiding her files to protect her. Bruce wouldn’t be surprised if Ross treated someone like that terribly. But if that was the case, it was weird that Ross wouldn’t tell them after he hired them on. The girl could be a scientist who’d voluntarily taken the serum, but then locking her in a cell would be a very odd move. Also, wouldn’t Sue know about it then, and be able to tell them something without calling in Cruz? Plus, as iffy as he knew Ross’s ethical boundaries were, Bruce was pretty sure he wouldn’t outright allow a scientist to do something like that. He fired Brian for something similar, after all. <br/>Brian. He might have some insight into what was going on. Bruce knew he couldn’t talk to him, though. Not unless he wanted to end up in jail again. It had taken Tony personally showing up to get him off that time, and Bruce didn’t want to impose on him again. Maybe he could get Tony to. But that would require explaining far more about Brian then he’d told Tony or, honestly, anyone except his therapist. And Bruce just wasn’t up for that much thinking about his father right then. He’d planned, years ago, to minimize Brian’s impact on his life. But they do always say that’s the best way to make God laugh, don’t they. Bruce stood up with a sigh. He probably should go tell Tony about the girl at this point anyway. He could leave Brian out of this. <br/>But Bruce never got the chance to do this his way, because when did he ever? Instead, he turned to walk to Tony, only for Tony to walk right into him. Tony had way to big of a smile for any of this to be good. He directed it at Bruce, and proclaimed, “I’ve figured it out!”<br/>“What?”<br/>“The data entry! It’s about her!” Tony’s smile barely faded as he shoved a picture of an explosion in Bruce’s face. “A girl got caught in a gamma blast, the numbers must be based on testing her corpse!”<br/>Bruce sighed. This was not good, but at least the mystery was over. “Not her corpse, Tony. I’ve been doing some poking around too, and I’m pretty sure she’s downstairs.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>next chapter should be longer! and I'd love it if you'd leave kudos and/or comment!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. And you look for a place to hide</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm back! I am still trash at writing! I am still going to ask you for comments and kudos!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tony stared at Bruce. He didn’t know if he’d heard him right. “You’ve seen her?”<br/>
Bruce rubbed his brow. “I guess.”<br/>
“She’s alive?”<br/>
“Apparently.”<br/>
Tony felt his jaw clenching and tried to relax. “Well, care to show me?”<br/>
Bruce winced and started fidgeting around. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. But, I can if you want.”<br/>
Tony gestured for him to lead the way. Bruce sighed and grabbed something off the table but did walk out of the room. They went down the hall to a shadowy staircase, that had Tony thinking of summer camps he went to in his childhood. Then into a hallway filled with specimens, with that awful harsh fluorescent lighting. Then around a corner, and into a women’s room. Tony snorted, wondering what on earth possessed Bruce to go in here anyway. Tony was the go into a women’s room guy in this friendship, not Bruce.<br/>
But Bruce went in the door, and down a hidden hallway. He came to a stop in front of a glass wall. It looked into a small room, with a young girl inside. A young girl who looked quite a bit like the intern who should be dead.<br/>
His heart started to pound. Ross, that bastard. He looked over at the door. The locking mechanism seemed biometric, and maybe… but Ross wouldn’t because he didn’t possibly think Tony would be okay with this. He wouldn’t.<br/>
The instant Tony put his thumb on the pad, the lock turned green. Tony leaned in and tried to look reassuring and not like he was a second away from screaming. “Hey, we’re planning to blow this joint. Wanna join us?”<br/>
She snorted slightly and gave a small nod. When she tried to stand, though, he legs collapse under her. Tony lunged forward and managed to catch her. He drew back instantly when he saw the fear that flashed across her face, and she crumpled to a heap on the floor. He cursed under his breath and crouched next to her. He tried to aim for an upbeat tone.<br/>
“So, that’s not gonna work. Can I carry you?” She shook her head and pointed to the collar. Shit. He ran his hands over it, looking for some type of latch or keyhole.<br/>
He heard Bruce sigh behind him. “Tony, we have to hurry if we’re doing this.”<br/>
“You wanna try?”<br/>
Bruce slipped in past Tony. He showed the kid something, at which she nodded. He brought the object up to her collar, and a high-pitched whine filled the air. The girl gasped, and clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming.<br/>
Tony’s eyes widened. “Bruce, you’re hurting her!”<br/>
The other man nodded, his focus not leaving the collar and the tool in his hand. The collar clattered to the floor, and Bruce looked up. “Had to get it off.” He scooped the girl up then and started walking.<br/>
Tony’s head was spinning. “How the hell did you know to bring a metal-cutting saw?”<br/>
Bruce laughed humorlessly. “I know you, Tony. And honestly, if I had more balls, I would’ve gotten her out already.”<br/>
“Ross showed you this?”<br/>
“Jesus, no.” Bruce angled sideways to open the door to the main hallway without hurting the kid. Tony caught the door before it closed and slipped through.<br/>
“So, how?”<br/>
“The whole thing seemed off, but I didn’t know who she was.”<br/>
“Why didn’t you tell me?”<br/>
Bruce paused, examining a fork in the hallway. “I- let’s just get out of here before I explain that. Which way here, do you think?”<br/>
“Left.” Tony wanted to press the issue but refrained. “And you’re right. More walking, less talking.”<br/>
“A bit late for that.”<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p>The man was leaning against the wall of the hallway, as relaxed as could be. He grinned at them. “I doubt Ross would want you taking away his prized specimen like that.”<br/>
Tony bristled at the man’s tone. “And how, exactly, are you going to stop us?”<br/>
The man laughed. “Well, you’d be surprised. Rest assured, however, that I’d find it quite easy. But I’m willing to negotiate.”<br/>
“I can make it more than worth your while.”<br/>
The man laughed again. “Oh, I’m sure. Tony Stark, isn’t it? How much of your daddy’s money would you give me?” He pushed off the wall and stepped closer. “How many millions to make treason and theft disappear?”<br/>
“What do you want.” The growled phrase forced it’s way out.<br/>
“Not your money, that’s for sure. Human money doesn’t interest me. But, her, well.” The man grinned at the girl in Bruce’s arms. “She’s a rare treasure. And I doubt either of you would consider her worth your freedom.”<br/>
Tony put on his most charming grin. “She’s not for sale. And I doubt Ross would look to kindly upon you stealing his ‘prized specimen’. But if you let us go, all of us can keep our freedom.”<br/>
The man’s face twisted. “No. I’ll not let you put her in some cage. Now, give her to me.”<br/>
Bruce cleared his throat. “As I recall, she was sitting in a cage until we got her.”<br/>
“GIVE HER TO ME.”<br/>
Tony scowled at the man. “I can promise you that I have no intention of imprisoning her. I don’t know who the hell you are, but you clearly know me. So trust me when I say this. If I wanted to experiment on her the way Ross has been, it would be rather easy for me to buy her. We aren’t trying to do that. We are trying to rescue her.”<br/>
The man stepped forward, and a shimmering blue light began to coalesce around him. Tony stared, unable to believe what he was seeing. This wasn’t some military gadget, was it? Or some techy thing by Richards?<br/>
Tony didn’t get to find out, as a sudden thump of boots shook the corridor. The other man looked over his shoulder and cursed, swiftly shimmering out of existence. Tony grabbed Bruce’s arm and tugged him into a run.<br/>
They made it to the car before Ross caught up. He’d brought a security squad with him, 10 guys or so. They all had guns, and all of them were pointing right that him.<br/>
Tony reached deep in him and pulled out a smile. “General! I was just going to see you. Unfortunately, I think I have to surrender our contract for ethical reasons. If you call Ms. Potts, I’m sure she’ll be glad to help arrange it with favorable terms.”<br/>
“Son, you’re about to steal a piece of valuable military property right there. Get your buddy to put it down, and we can talk.”<br/>
Bruce glowered at him. “I didn’t know that the U.S. military was in the business of slavery.”<br/>
“Gotta be human to be a slave, and it’s not human. Put it down.”<br/>
Tony stepped in front of Bruce, hoping to keep him from saying things they both might regret. “She seems pretty human to me, General. And based on your files, you’ve got no ruling to say she’s any less human then you or me.”<br/>
“We don’t need a ruling, we-“<br/>
“Let me stop you right there and explain this in terms you might understand. You’ve been holding a 22-year-old American citizen in an underground lab and experimenting on in her ways that are practically reminiscent of Mengele. And while I’m sure you’re still riding high on the military’s public perception bump from 9/11, people are starting to get tired of our eternal war. For now, that’s mostly the college students and the liberals, and they’ve never really liked you. But I doubt that ANY real proportion of Americans will see this as some heroic military action, especially once I get my PR team involved. And so, if I make this a big thing, and take you to court, and talk to the media, you will be fucked. And if they think it’ll get them votes, all your pet senators will have no problem turning on you. And every damn one of your colleagues with an ounce of decency won’t like you much either, though I doubt they ever did. So right now, you don’t hold the cards. I do. And you are damn well going to let me walk away.”<br/>
<br/>
Ross was practically vibrating with rage. Tony stared at him and hoped will all his heart this would work.<br/>
And Ross turned on his heel and stalked back into the building.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Did someone break your heart inside?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What the hell did you idiots do? Why is Dr. Cho here? Why has the legal department received several furious threats from General Ross?” Pepper paused for breath. “And please tell me you didn’t kidnap that kid, Tony!”<br/>Tony held up his hands in what he hoped was a placating gesture. He’d been hiding out in this hallway, hoping she’d cool off a bit before finding him. Too bad it had done the opposite of work. “Trust me, Pep. I did the right thing. Ross is the criminal. And Cho’s here to help.” He steered her into a room off to the side and sat down at the table. Pepper remained standing.<br/>“Help with what? I need a damn explanation, Tony!”<br/>He sighed. “Ross had the woman held in his base. He was experimenting on her. I rescued her, but she’s pretty messed up. Cho’s helping.” Tony looked away. “We found her in the base. It was bad, Pep.”<br/>“Okay. Who is she?”<br/>“Robin Leffler. She was an intern.”<br/>Pepper nodded. “And why was he experimenting on her?”<br/>“Experiment went wrong; I think. Seems like she got caught in a gamma bomb blast, and mutated. They put out that she died, but…”<br/>“So how do you know she’s this person?”<br/>“Um. I don’t, exactly. But, well, she looks like her photo! And there are no other possible 20 somethings who’s had that sort of gamma exposure recently.”<br/>Pepper sighed. “Okay. I’ll try to find a relative, and see if they can come to confirm. In the meantime-“<br/>Tony jumped up. “No. Don’t get her relatives.”<br/>“What?”<br/>“I don’t know what’s going on with her, Pepper. But, well, it seems that she’s got the microcellular flux that was characteristic of gamma irradiation in Bruce’s earlier work, and I don’t want it to cascade.”<br/>“I don’t know what that means, Tony. Use English, please.”<br/>Tony groaned. “Bruce’s gamma frogs turned green and exploded when exposed to stress.”<br/>“TONY! You brought a girl who’s literally a walking bomb into a building filled with your employees?”<br/>“It’s not quite an explosion, more like a splatter! And she hasn’t yet. But, well, I wouldn’t want to find out my dead kid wasn’t dead, only for, well.”<br/>“Them to splatter all over you?” Pepper raised an eyebrow. <br/>“Yeah.”<br/>“Tony, her family deserves the truth at the least. And if I were going to splatter, I’d want someone other the strangers to be with me. I’ll get someone to find them.” She jotted a note down and looked back up. “And you need to tell me what you want the strategy on this to be.”<br/>“Fuck Ross up.”<br/>“That’s not a strategy. I’ll get someone from legal to talk to you about our options. Oh, and SHEILD’s been reaching out.”<br/>“SHEILD?”<br/>“Yes. It’s Phil Colson, he says he’d like to talk at your earliest convenience.”<br/>“Phil! Yeah, send him here.”<br/>Pepper typed some stuff into her phone and nodded. “He’s outside, I’ll go talk to legal while you two talk.”<br/>“Great! I think he’ll have some opinions about this.”<br/>Phil stepped in and nodded at Tony. “I do have some opinions, but that’s not why I’m here. We got some odd readings from when you were leaving Ross’s base.”<br/>“What kind of odd readings?”<br/>Phil sighed. “The kind SHEILD tends to concern itself with. I just want to know if you’ve seen either of these men.”<br/>He slid a photo over to Tony, who picked it up. There were 2 men, one tall muscled, and blond. He was certain he’d never seen him before. But the other was thin and tall, with long dark hair. And Tony was pretty sure he’d been the disappearing guy. But…<br/>“Why?”<br/>“Why do we want to know? Because, well,” Phil rubbed his head. “They are Thor and Loki.”<br/>Tony choked on his coffee. “The Norse gods?!”<br/>“Aliens, technically. They’ve come here before, and Thor’s warned us that Loki might come back to stir up trouble.”<br/>“When the hell did they come here?”<br/>“They came to New Mexico. I believe your acquaintances Jane Foster and Erik Selvig were there?”<br/>“Well. I did run into this one, Loki I think, when we were leaving. He wanted us to give him the girl.”<br/>Phil sighed. “Collecting weapons. That doesn’t seem like a good sign.”<br/>“She’s not a weapon!”<br/>“Yeah, she’s just a kid the way your suit is just a high-tech prosthesis.”<br/>“I’m serious, Phil. Robin’s a person, and I’m not going to use her as a weapon. And if SHIELD has a problem with that, then they’re just gonna have to deal with it.”<br/>Phil nodded. “Understood. Might I suggest, though, that it will be a lot easier for me to keep Fury off your tail if you at least try to find some way to control her transformations?”<br/>Tony blinked. “Her what?”<br/>“Please don’t tell me you don’t know.”<br/>“Well, sorry! Apparently, I don’t know fucking ANYTHING about this!”<br/>“Okay. Alright. I’ll explain it.”<br/>Tony stared at Phil. “So, you’re saying she transforms into a super-strong monster that she doesn’t have control over when she’s angry? And she only gets the boosted healing then?”<br/>“Without Ross’s shock collar and drugs, yeah.”<br/>“So, she’s not going to suddenly splatter everywhere like Bruce’s frogs? Awesome! I have to make sure Pepper tells her family.”<br/>“Tony, she’s a dangerous weapon.”<br/>“By your judgment, so am I. I’ll make a suit that can contain her or something. But this is awesome, I have to tell Bruce! And it’s nice to know she won’t die.”<br/>“And you do at least know her blood’s radioactive, right?”<br/>“Yeah, I’m not stupid. Bruce and Cho have protective equipment on.”<br/>“Good. And Tony? Thanks for rescuing her. SHEILD’s ability to get involved in cases like these is, well, limited. And I, at least, am glad that she’s now in a better situation.”<br/>“Even though you think she’s a weapon?”<br/>Phil smiled. “Weapons deserve rights and lives, just as much as the rest of us. Sometimes more than the rest of us.”<br/>Tony watched as Phil walked away. That last sentence, Phil had sounded like he was talking about someone. Someone he cared for. Tony hoped he did, because Phil, for all of SHEILD’s questionable shit, was a damn good man. <br/>He’d have to figure out a way for Robin to manage her transformations, though. Weed, maybe? Therapy? Meditation? Bruce would probably have some ideas. Speaking of Bruce, he should check in on him. He’d have to scrub in though, wouldn’t he?<br/>The medical room was a mess of activity. Cho’s assistants scurried about as she and Bruce shouted to hear each other over the noise of the monitors. The girl was lying on the bed, an anesthesia mask on her face. There were fresh stitches over an incision on her stomach, and she was surrounded by beeping monitors. <br/>Bruce looked up as Tony entered. “Bad time, man.”<br/>“Is she…” , Tony scoured his mind for the phrases used in medical dramas, “crashing?”<br/>“Yes.” Cho didn’t even glance at him as she spoke. “She’s having a reaction to some of the medications we’ve been giving her.”<br/>“Ah.” Tony watched as Bruce delicately cut into the girl’s throat, and then fed a tube in through it. <br/>Cho hooked up some additional machinery to the girl, then sighed. “Okay, she’s breathing again. But blood pressure is still dropping.”<br/>“There’s internal bleeding in her chest cavity. We need to pump it out.” <br/>One of the assistants passed Cho scalpel, with which she cut into the chest of the girl. She connected something to the hole which Tony figured must be the pump. Bruce connected a bag of blood to the girl. <br/>Bruce sighed and wiped his forehead. “She’s stabilizing.”<br/>Tony nodded. “I can take her blood for safe disposal if you need it.”<br/>Bruce grabbed the bag the pump was connected to and readied a new one. But as he removed it, the bag burst, covering his lab coat with blood. With radioactive blood. <br/>Tony thought it was fine for a moment, as he scanned Bruce. His suit didn’t seem broken. He should be safe. <br/>But he looked at Bruce’s hand, and nearly fainted. The glove was stretching and breaking around Bruce’s now green and swelling hand. And as he watched, the green spread.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>um. Sorry! Bruce had to become Hulk at some point. And also yes the girls name is a star trek reference sue me. Phil's "weapon" he's referring to is Clint, and I called him that because My Life As A Weapon is amazing. And as always, comments and kudos are appreciated!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. You're in Ruins.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bruce groaned as he pushed himself up off the floor and looked around. Everything hurt, every joint and muscle protesting as he began to move. He felt around for his glasses but came up empty. He sighed and straightened up, squinting around the room. He’d been in Tony’s lab, hadn’t he? But this didn’t look like the lab. <br/>Bruce heard a whirring behind him, and turned to see Tony, in his Iron Man suit. He flipped up the faceplate as he approached. <br/>“Hey Brucie, doing alright?”<br/>Bruce blinked. Tony looked concerned. Scared? And oddly, a little bit awkward. Tony was never awkward. But her he was, trying hard not to look at Bruce’s legs, which were… oh. OH. Fuck. Bruce’s face flushed. <br/>“Hey, don’t worry.” Tony now seemed almost like he was going to laugh. “Not like I haven’t seen it before.”<br/>Bruce flushed even more, feeling like his face was on fire. “Got a blanket or something?”<br/>Tony nodded and pulled out a lab coat, which Bruce gratefully pulled on. But wait. If lab coats were here, then this was Tony’s lab. And if it was Tony’s lab, what had happened to it. Why was Tony in his Iron Man suit? What was going on? Where were his clothes? Wait, where was that kid? <br/>Bruce squinted even more, desperately trying to see more details of the lab, which it did seem like it was. The bed the girl had been on was smashed into the wall, as if by some giant. She was collapsed on the floor, half under a splintered table. Bruce’s thoughts went back to that video Tony had shown him. He thought it’d been her, hadn’t he?<br/>“Tony, did she change into that thing from the video?” When the engineer didn’t respond, Bruce repeated the question. <br/>Tony sighed. “No Bruce. YOU did.”<br/>Bruce gapped at him. “What?”<br/>Tony winced. “We should move to a not smashed room before I explain, maybe? And move the kid too?” <br/>Bruce nodded, moving to scope up the kid, who stirred a bit in his arms. He staggered after Tony into a less-smashed room a bit down the hall, although this one was still covered in dust from the destruction. There was a bed, where he put the girl. He and Tony took the chairs. <br/>Bruce stared at Tony, who was clearly trying to affect some type of casual attitude while in the Iron Man suit. He dropped it when he noticed Bruce staring. <br/>“I should explain what I mean?”<br/>“Yes. Very much yes.”<br/>Tony groaned. “Okay. So you were taking some blood from her to check for diseases, right? But ummm, you dropped it. And we were wearing protective gear, but it got in under your glove? Or at least I think so. But then, you kinda went into a…. giant green rage monster?”<br/>Bruce blinked. “What?”<br/>“I mean you literally turned giant and green? Like you grew 2 feet taller and sprouted a bunch of muscle. And, um, were roaring. Loudly.”<br/>“I got… bigger?”<br/>“Yeah, sort of like a Reed Richards thing? But angrily. And greenly. Anyway, you did that, and then started punching the lab. And then I grabbed the suit to try and stop you, but the girl, she did it as well. But gray. And she started roaring at you. And then you started punching at her, and she punched back. And the two of you destroyed most of the lab wing. Until you both turned back. You came right back, but she’s still out.”<br/>“How long was I a… giant green rage monster?”<br/>Tony thought for a minute. “About an hour? Oh, and you kept shouting ‘SMASH!’”. <br/>“Did I hurt anyone?”<br/>“No, I got JARVIS to evacuate the buildings. But, um. A friend of mine from the whole Iron Man thing saw it. And he wants to see you.”<br/>“Who?”<br/>“His name’s Coulson. Phil Coulson. Works for an agency my dad was in. Got a cute boyfriend. Not an awful guy.”<br/>“And he knows about this because…”<br/>Tony sighed. “He was here. Wanted to know more about the kid. He thinks your display was quite impressive.”<br/>“He’s who you were talking to with Pepper?”<br/>“Yeah. Anyway, I’ve learned it’s better to listen to him the first time he asks. You should get clothes first, then go talk to him.”<br/>There was a knock on the door, and Pepper poked her head in. “Bruce, I’ve got some clothes for you, JARVIS asked me to get them. Phil will come by in 10. Tony, when you’re done with that, you need to give a statement. We’re implying that it was caused by an unsafe project started by Ross, and that you were stabilizing it. Phil’s got his people suppressing footage already, and we’re getting some construction firms ready to start rebuilding. You’ll need to meet with me about that after the statement.” She tossed Bruce a package of clothes, then ducked out. Bruce grinned at Tony’s mournful face and started pulling on his clothes. <br/>“Anything I should know before we see Coulson?”<br/>Tony grinned. “He acts like he’s just a suit. He’s not. His boyfriend will also almost certainly be covering him after that little display.”<br/>“So don’t fistfight him?”<br/>“YES. Very much do not. Just be as much like Pepper and as little like me as you can.”<br/>Despite Tony’s warnings, Bruce almost did think the small, plain man was just a suit. He acted like one, at least, with his slight hunch and briefcase. He nodded to Tony and shook hand with him and Bruce. <br/>They sat around the table, with Bruce and Tony on one side. Phil opened his briefcase and took out some papers, before smiling at Bruce. “That was quite a performance, Dr. Banner. Have you ever done that before?”<br/>“No, never.”<br/>“Do you remember any of it?” <br/>“No, but Tony’s explained what happened to me. I turned giant and green?”<br/>“Yup. Your father worked with Ross when you were a kid, right?”<br/>Bruce tensed, before breathing out calmly. “Yes, before he killed my mom.”<br/>“And he was found dead a few years ago. By your mother’s grave.”<br/>Bruce tensed even more, and he knew a calm breath wouldn’t help. “Yes, the corner thought he’d fallen on it in his drunkenness.”<br/>“Hmmm.” Phil Coulson had all but totally dropped the suit act by now, his posture perfect and his eyes clear and sharp as he surveyed Bruce. “It didn’t help with your anger that much, did it?”<br/>“He deserved worse.”<br/>Phil grinned and it was a knife. “I can’t say I disagree. You showed remarkable restraint.” He looked down at the papers. “We at SHEILD would appreciate it if you’d keep the green at a minimum, alright? Try meditation or something. We don’t want to need to be involved in this.” He gathered up the papers and nodded. “See you around, Mr. Stark. You too, Dr. Banner.” <br/>And he was gone. Bruce stared after him. “He’s not going to arrest me or something? Or try to take the kid?”<br/>Tony laughed. “If he wanted you gone, that’d be his boyfriends’ job. And I already worked out the kid with him, or at least reached a stalemate.” He sighed. “This is a mess. A giant, ruined mess. But we won what mattered.”<br/>Bruce looked up. “What’s what mattered?”<br/>Tony smiled at him. “You, and your freedom. The kid, and hers’. And Ross, and his soon-to-be lack of freedom. Or at least lack of power. Or at least lack of the kid.”<br/>“But your lab’s in ruins, we don’t know why I just turned giant and green, and we’re taking care of a kid who can do the same for reasons we also don’t know and who’s been captive and tortured for who knows how long. Feels a bit like we lost.”<br/>“Labs can be rebuilt, and we can learn the reasons. We won the opportunity to take that next step, to rebuild and learn. The next step’s what we won. That’s the only thing you can win.” Tony checked his watch. “I’m off to make a statement now, you should check on the kid. But remember! WE WON.”.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The end is definitely influenced by the election. And this chapter is so so late. I'm sorry.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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